I found this article at American Public Media ... actually, the teaser ended up in my inbox.  The premise seems to be an exploration of a recent claim by Forbes Magazine that gay bars are among the top ten businesses facing extinction, along with crop dusting and record stores.  Ouch.

APM took a look and noted some interesting trends.

First, some gay bars are becoming more mixed or "evolving" into gay-friendly bars with a healthy mix of heterosexual patrons.  Owners spin this as a sign of progress, of the cultural enmesh we've been seeking all these years.

Although, some gay exclusive bars haven't pulled off that transition and are closing their doors. Ironically, this happens at a peak of gay spending power ...$750 billion according to this article.

Others attribute the drain on gay bars to generational issues.  Back in the day, the gay bar was the community center and provided the loci for everything from socialization to organizing and advocacy.  Today's generations are using the Internet and increasingly accepted gay-identified alternative spaces and organizations to accomplish those goals. 

Finally, there are the nay-sayers who say in certain parts of the country, there is a need for gay-exclusive bars given the dynamics of that region. 

So, gay spending is up and so is the number (and types) of places to spend.  The gay bar generation is aging.  Young gays are being raised in mixed-environments where they can identity as openly queer and still find their space.  Not all of American has evolved this far. 

I personally don't have an intimate knowledge of this history of Pittsburgh's gay bar scene.  Wouldn't that make for a wonderful documentary?  Or thesis?  Anyone in queer studies done that?  I've been to Donny's, the Eagle, CJ's, Lucky's, Pegasus, New York, New York and that place that used to the Liberty Avenue Saloon, I think.  Oh, and True.  I think that's it.  I loved True because it was smoke free, but the crowd wasn't very friendly.  The Eagle was my favorite -- they seem to do a lot of benefits and I thought the different floors were a hoot.  Plus, the staff were friendly.  Granted, this is a very limited sampling -- probably 20-25 visits over the past 15 years. 

So, my inexpert opinion, is that Pittsburgh is probably one of those places that still needs a core gay bar scene even while queer-straight mixed places are emerging.  The Firehouse Lounge had a successful run of L-Word parties.  When the season ended, the women stopped coming.  They'll be back next season.  They don't do reruns. 

The coffeehouses are a great example of an entirely new mixed venue that's providing queer supportive (and queer owned) spaces.  I love the coffeehouses in Pittsburgh, although I have to admit that I tried to go to the new one in Lawrenceville  -- Your Inner Vagabond -- and it took me exactly 2 minutes to feel uncomfortable and head right back out the door.  Actually, come to think of it, it is a very similar experience to a gay bar when you walk in and people stare at you like you are an intruder.  For someone like me, that's all she wrote. I go where there is less staring b/c I equate staring = get the fuck out of here.  If I want that experience of hostile begrudging sharing of space, I'll go visit my aunt at the holidays.  Or my Catholic university reunion. 

Anyway, I was saying ... I think The Firehouse Lounge project was a good one.  But I suspect that some of those lesbians went back to their familiar haunts and, assuming they drink responsibly blah blah blah, that's a good thing, too.

Pittsburgh's gay bars are driving PrideFest this year so they certainly don't seem to be on the demise.  I wouldn't mind going for a drink if they would just go smoke-free.  Until then, I'll do my socializing at events and order my coffee without the splash of a withering glance. 

Check out the article. 

Here's the word from one of the organizers Eli. 

MySpace page is:   http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=336168242

Betty herself told me she is involved and will be speaking at the event.  That is just exactly the level of cool this event needs.  Betty is one of our favorite people.   So, yeah for the Dyke March. 

In honor of the Primary Pittsburgh Project,  I'd like to take a few inches of this blog to review why I think this is a great place for the LGBTQ/gay/queer community.

First, the City of Pittsburgh has codified our civil rights and civil protections.  It is illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender presentation in the areas of employment, housing or public accommodation.  That was a very hard fought battle that took place well over a dozen years ago.  That's a long time in gay history.

Second, Pittsburgh has many wonderful community based organizations and service organizations.  We are home to Persad Center, the nation's first LGBT mental health provider.  The Gay & Lesbian Community Center is in Squirrel Hill.  The Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force and Shepherd Wellness Center grew from our communities to provide much needed services.  GLENDA is still the best way to meet new gay people in a comfortable environment AND contribute to the community.  PFLAG is there for our families. GLSEN and Voices of Hope (along with the GLCC and Persad's YEP programs) offer support and uplift our young people.  The list goes on and on, but Pittsburgh is fortunate to have such a strong safety net.

Third, we must recognize our recreational and social outlets.  From gay square dancing to OUTrageous Bingo, from softball to bowling, from potlucks to Cajun dancing, we have a lot of stuff going on in this town.  There's Pink Party Productions, Operation Sappho and at least two different singles dinners.  There's potlucks at the GLCC and Queer Dinners at the Gypsy Cafe.  The L-Word party is immensely popular.  The Film Society shows movies year round in addition to two excellent weeks of the film festival. 

Fourth, let's shout out to our business community.  Beyond the gay bar foundation, there are many, many local gay owned companies that serve the entire community.  Coffee houses, clothing stores, caterers, and much more.  One bakery has a monthly lesbian night. Another straight owned bar has declared themselves a gay bar (and has good pizza).  Bank of New York Mellon has a thriving queer affiliation group for employees.  And the so-called "pink dollar" is being sought after. 

I want to stop and point out that the myth about gays having more disposable income is misleading.  There are many local queer families that live in poverty or just a paycheck away -- just like heterosexual families.  The good thing is that Pittsburgh is still an affordable place to live and raise your family so even if you aren't the fortunate few to live in a restored Shadyside Victorian mansion, you can still have access to all of these wonderful resources. 

Next, I have to acknowledge electoral politics.  Pittsburgh just elected our first openly gay member of City Council, so we can finally stop the wink, wink, nod, nod crap about those of whom we do not speak.  Let's celebrate our champions - Dan Frankel and Bill Peduto (two straight white guys who are welcome at any gay event in town).  Let's applaud our allies - Doug Shields, Chelsa Wagner, Rich Fitzgerald, Mike Lamb, Heather Arnet and others - for doing what they can to have an impact at their various levels.  Let's hold out hope for our friends -- Wayne Fontana, Jake Wheatley, Jay Costa, Mike Doyle, Jason Altmire, Sean Logan -- that they remain steadfast against discrimination and hatred in the face of mounting pressure.  Let's keep working on those who need work -- Dan Onorato, Luke Ravenstahl -- and work hard to keep those whom we need -- Brenda  Frazier. 

Most importantly, let's commend our two leading political groups -- the Steel City Stonewall Democrats and the Gertrude Stein Political Club of Greater Pittsburgh -- who work tirelessly on our behalf.  We are quite fortunate to have so many talented individuals working to strengthen the political arena -- Sue Frietsche at the Women's Law Project and Dana Elmendorf of the PA Marriage Equality. 

Moving on, our philanthropic resources.  The Lambda Foundation has given away $1 million dollars locally.  The Delta Foundation is pouring tens of thousands into Pride events.  The Pittsburgh Foundation has a dedicated fund for LGBT health initiatives.  Art for Life, formerly Art for AIDS, is a huge wonderful event.  People turn out to public theater and to car washes to show their support for LGBT resources. 

Almost there.  Media and communication resources are vastly under appreciated here in Pgh.  We have a monthly newspaper that serves a niche audience and serves it well.  A local straight owned coffeehouse agreed to distribute it because a few people asked.  That's cool.  We have a super-huge Queer Events email list started by one woman who wanted to get the word out.  Now she runs a calendar chock full of information and gives us a forum to discuss tough issues likes trans inclusion within the lesbian community as well as where to get the best cupcakes in town.  Local gay groups are trying to catch up, they want to catch up.  There are two blogs that have the word "lesbian" in their title.  And 17 blogs that participated in the first Blog for Equality Day.  Lynn Cullen and John McIntire talk about gay people, events and issues on a regular basis.  The City Paper considers the gay angle in a lot of mainstream stories. 

Finally, there's you.  You might be the lesbian who reads this blog or you might be a straight man who surfed in from another site.  You have kids or you don't.  You are single or domestically partnered or married.  Perhaps you've retired.  You might go to Mass with your mother every weekend.  You like the two nice women who make those awesome grilled cheese sandwiches and refuse to sell bottled water on principal.  You know what HRC stands for and maybe a little bit about the whole ENDA debate.  Your best friend is gay.  You are the only gay person you know and you don't know what to do.  You post anonymous comments telling me how wrong I am, but you keep coming back to read what I have to say about it.  You are thinking about starting your own gay blog (go for it!). 

You are Pittsburgh's queer community and you are what makes Pittsburgh a wonderful place to be gay. 

In the most recent GLCC newsletter, the organization announced that Celebrate the Night has become an official committee of the organization.  Celebrate the Night is a variety show that benefits the GLCC.

As you may recall, CTN generated a firestorm last year by refusing to audition a transwoman and pronouncing that she was not woman enough to meet their criteria.  At that point, the CTN website described the event as celebrating all women.

They've since updated it to state:

For the purpose of this event, if a person is legally recognized as
a woman or living full-time as a woman, she is a woman.

No such requirement that to be a lesbian, you must be legally recognized or living full-time as a lesbian.  Which is good since there are many, many women who participate in CTN that are not 100% out of the closet and I would hate for them to feel excluded just because they aren't lesbian enough.

Well, at least if the GLCC is going to formally associate itself with an organization that openly discriminates against transwomen,things are a little more out in the open.  The GLCC has historically been a little weak on transinclusion and I don't really think this is going to come as a shock to anyone.  The truth is that Pittsburghers who are L, G, B and Q really have a long way to go when it comes to lifting up and including our trans brothers and sisters.

For a complete herstory on this situation, click here.